414 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 10, 1887. 
borne in mind that they have not the quality of Hales’ Early, Stirling 
Castle, or Royal George, which started at the same time will not afford 
fruit until May. The house may be kept close, but admitting air freely 
above 50°, employing fire heat only to prevent the temperature falling 
below 35°. The more slowly the trees are excited the stronger will be 
the blossoms. The outside border must be well protected with litter or 
dry fern, and if wooden shutters or tarpaulin are available they will be 
advantageous in throwing off excessive wet. A thorough soaking of 
water should be given to the inside borders, and if the trees are weakly 
a soaking of liquid manure not too strong will tend to a more vigorous 
break. Sprinkle the trees in the morning and afternoon of bright days, 
but do not keep them dripping with moisture. 
Succession Houses. —All the leaves are off, except in the latest house, 
where they should not be forcibly removed, at least not until they part 
readily from the trees, but when they are all off or come easily by brush¬ 
ing with the hand or a light broom, unfasten the trees from the trellis, 
prune them, thoroughly cleanse them and the house, and if need be 
paint the woodwork and trellis. Tie the trees to the trellis, leaving 
room for the branches to swell, tight tying being inducive of gum. Re¬ 
move the surface soil and supply fresh, give a good watering to the in¬ 
side borders, thereby having all in readiness for a start when required. 
The houses should be kept as cool as possible. 
Lifting, Root-pruning, Fresh Trees. —Any lifting, root-pruning, or 
the introduction of fresh trees should be performed at once, the plant¬ 
ing being proceeded with as soon as the leaves are nearly off the trees 
to be removed. Trees for planting in houses are best three to five years 
trained and prepared for lifting by digging round them a year previ¬ 
ously. Such trees can be lifted with an abundance of fibres, and being 
carefully planted they force well the first season, not being brought on 
too rapidly, and a moderate crop taken. It is always best to select such 
trees in preference to planting young ones, which do not fruit much the 
first two or three years, hence the advantage of planting trees in an 
already bearing state. 
Figs. — Early Forced Planted out Trees .—These should now be 
untied from the trellis and pruned. Those with the roots restricted to 
small borders will require the shoots thinned where too crowded, but 
those not having the roots restricted will need a hard pruning at the 
upper part of the trellis, cutting back those shoots that have reached to 
the limit, to where the succeeding shoots start. Remove any elongated 
spurs, reserving such as are short-jointed and fruitful. The house 
should then be thoroughly cleansed, washing the woodwork with scalding 
water, washirg the walls afterwards with quicklime and sulphur. Wash 
the trees with soapy water, and afterwards dress with an insecticide. 
Then secure the trees to the trellis, allowing room for the growth of the 
branches, forking the surface of the border slightly, removing the loose 
material, and apply a top-dressing of short partially decayed manure, 
about 3 inches thick, giving a good watering. Ventilate freely at all 
times, except when frost prevails, which it is well to exclude. 
Succ ssion Houses. —Prune and cleanse the trees without delay 
especially where insects have obtained a footing. Complete any root- 
pruning, lifting, &c., remembering that Figs with the roots restricted or 
confined to limited space are more manageable and fruitful than those. 
with an unlimited root area. Any unfruitful trees should be rather 
severely root-pruned, and the roots restricted to moderate-sized borders, 
depending more upon active feeders near the surface encouraged by 
mulching than a large extension of roots. 
Strawberries in Pots. —One of the greatest errors in growing 
Strawberri s in pots is placing them in Peach houses and with open 
ventilators, where from the passing currents of air evaporation is con¬ 
stant and excessive, which only wastes the energies of the plants, and 
not un-frequently destroys the root at the sides of the pots. All plants 
for early forcing should be in frames, with a view to protect them from 
heavy rains only. Those for midseason and late forcing are just as well 
plunged in ashes in a sheltered situation as anywhere, having a light 
covering of bracken or straw in severe weather. Drought is the great 
bane of the Strawberry, therefore those in frames must never be 
neglected, the soil always being kept moist. Plants of La Grosse Sucr^e, 
Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, or other early sorts must be held in 
Teadiness for placing in the early Peach house, to which fire heat will 
lie applied early next month, or in the Strawberry house if on; exist. 
In a season when the plants are late it is advisable to make up a bed of 
leaves about 2 feet in height, and place the plants in a frame upon it, 
packing the spaces between the pots with damn leaves. The bottom 
heat at the base of the pots need not exceed 65°, the top being kept 
cool, 50° not being exceeded, and when mild draw off the lights. This 
will tend to promote activity at the roots and to push the crowns. After 
three weeks to a month of this treatment the pots must be withdrawn 
■or raised if the bed be still warm, so as to insure the plants bearing the 
temperature of the Peach house or Strawberry house without check, as 
would be the case were they taken from a warm bed direct to the 
shelves. Plants for placing in vineries to be started next month require 
similar treatment. In case of plants having well developed crowns and 
abundant roots the slight bottom heat is not necessary. 
Those having the convenience of a house for forcing Strawberries 
will find it a considerable advantage (in seasons like the last) to start 
the plants in bottom heat, and if a pit be employed having artificial 
heat, so as to maintain the top heat at 50° in severe weather, keeping 
them in it until the trusses are pushed clear of the crowns before re¬ 
moving them to their fruiting quarters. Time will be gained, as late 
plants (and all are late this season) will need very careful treatment to 
secure a satisfactory result with the first eirly-forcel plants. If worms 
have gained an entrance to the pots dislodge them with lime water 
rectifying any defects of drainage. 
Pines. —Liberal ventilation should be afforded to houses or pits con¬ 
taining young plants whenever the weather is favourable, and avoid 
clamping, as keeping the houses constantly saturated is more injurious 
than otherwise. Water will be required frequently, yet the plants must 
be examined every ten days, watering such as require it, as too great 
dryness is more prejudicial than is commonly supposed. In the fruiting 
department lose no opportunity of closing the house at 85°, keeping the 
night temperature at 70°, or a few degrees less in cold weather. Remove 
all the sup rfluous suckers, retaining one only, the best on each plant. 
Suckers on successional plants that appear before the fruit is visible 
should be removed, unless an increase of stock is urgent. At this time 
of year it is usual to make new beds of fermenting materials for the 
young plants. Tan is unquestionably the best material, a good substi¬ 
tute being found in Oak or Beech leaves, which should now be collected 
as dry as possible. In forming beds of leaves they should be firmly 
pressed ; tan, on the other hand, should be placed lightly together. 
Cucumbers. —Maintain a night temperature of 70°, a few degrees 
less in severe weather, advancing to 80° and 85° with sun heat. Admit 
a little air at the top of the house whenever the weather is favourable, 
but it must be done without lowering the temperature, it being better 
to shut off the top heat for an hour or two when the suu is powerful 
than to’ admit air when the winds are sharp and cold. Moderate 
ventilation is, however, beneficial in carrying off steam or accumulated 
moisture. The syringe may be laid aside except for damping the paths' 
walls, &c., in the morning and afternoon in warm bright weather, keep¬ 
ing the evaporation troughs filled with liquid manure. The water or 
liquid manure given to the roots must be of the same temperature as 
the house, as also must the soil that is added to the beds. 
The autumn fruiters being now in full bearing must not be over¬ 
cropped, therefore remove the fruit as soon as it attains a fair size, and 
all deformed fruit when seen. Examine the plants at least once a week 
for the removal of bad leaves, stopping or cutting away superfluous 
growths. 
Let the winter fruiters advance well up the trellis before stopping 
them, training the side growths evenly, and not more closely than to 
allow of the foliage being well exposed to light. Stop at a few joints of 
growth, or one or two joints beyond the show of fruit. Allow few or no 
male blossoms or tendrils, removing them as fast as they appear, and 
add fresh warmed soil as often as the roots have fairly covered the sur¬ 
face of the bed. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Ldi“S .—The various Lilies that are used for decoration in pots and 
have properly ripened their flower stems need attention at once. More 
of these plants are ruined during the season of inactivity, through being 
kept too dry, or too wet, than by any other cause. To grow these plants 
well, they should be so accommodated that they will need no water from 
the present time until growth commences at the top of the bulbs. 
During this time they must not be dry, but the soil in an intermediate 
state. If the old flower stem is thoroughly ripe, it may be removed and 
all the old soil above the bulb, and if the remainder of the soil is sweet, 
and the drainage clean and good, they will only need supplying with a 
rich top-dre3sing of good loam, one-seventh of decayed manure and 
sand. Annual potting is not needed with those that have ample room 
at their roots—for instance, L. lancifolium album and rubrum will do 
well in the same pots for years. Those, however, that need larger pots 
should have the drainage and all loose or sour soil removed, and then be 
placed into a size larger. If the loam is of a heavy nature one-third 
of leaf mould may with advantage be added. The roots should not 
be disturbed, for injury to those that are plump and healthy will be 
certain to tell against the plants next season. Be careful that the soil 
of the old ball is in an intermediate state for moisture when potting is 
done, and the new soil should be in the same condition. Plunge the 
pots in a cool shed or cold frame, where the plunging material will 
protect them from frost and prevent the evaporation of moisture. If 
the surface of the soil and rim of the pots are buried beneath 2 inches of 
ashes the bulbs will remain in a capital condition until they commence 
root and top growth early in the season. Bulbs that are potted for the 
first time should be subjected to the same treatment, only a little sand 
should be placed at the base of each bulb as they are potted. 
Li-lium cmdidum .—This variety, Harrisi and longifolium, that 
have been forced in previous years must be grown for a time in the 
greenhouse or other position close to the glass where they will be safe 
from frost; in fact, the temperature should not fall below 45°. They 
must be kept growing slowly, so that undue forcing to bring them into 
bloom early in the season need not be resorted to. Any of these potted 
for the first time may be plunged in cold frames. The leaves of L. 
candidum will be developed, and, therefore, this variety should not be 
plunged too deeply to injure the foliage. Our newly potted bulbs of 
this variety were plunged when potted, and, therefore, their foliage has 
been developed through the plunging material in a natural manner. 
Preparations for Forcing .—A good supply of 1 aves in a dry state 
should be stored ready for making up fermenting beds in whicji to 
plunge various hardy flowering shrubs to bring them into flower. The 
moist gentle heat afforded by leaves is most beneficial in bringing for¬ 
ward various plants. If the house to be set apart for forcing operations 
has been thoroughly cleaned, leaves may be wheeled in and a bed made 
up without further delay. Early Hyacinths, Tulips, Narcissus, Azalea 
indica, and other plants that are ready may be stood upon the surface. 
The gentle heat produced by the leaves will be ample for the plants at 
first without resort to the hot-water pipes unless sharp weather should 
